How to Get Temporary Medicaid Coverage

Transcript

Hello, this is Kaylan with Legal Council for Health Justice. I hope you’re all well and doing what you can to help flatten the COVID-19 curve.

These are definitely scary times for everyone, and especially for our clients with low incomes who don’t have affordable health coverage.

Even though we’re seeing responsive and creative leadership in Illinois during this frightening pandemic, Legal Council advocates are still seeing Illinoisans who are waiting for their Medicaid applications to be processed. Just yesterday, we received a new case for a client who applied in early January but whose Medicaid has still not been approved. Of course, our client is incredibly worried about not having insurance right now and frustrated that it’s been over two months since they applied.

But there is relief for this client and for everyone caught in the backlog! Legal Council is working around the clock to get all of our clients temporary Medicaid cards so that they can get the care they need, now more than ever before. Temporary Medicaid cards provide full insurance coverage for applicants who haven’t been processed for more than 54 days! If you or your clients are at this mark, please have them call the All Kids Unit toll free at 1-877-805-5312 (TTY: 1-877-204-1012). After choosing English or Spanish, press 8 to request a temporary medical card. (Hours: 8:00am – 4:30pm). This option is available to any applicant, not just those applying for the All Kids program.

We know many of our clients and other uninsured Illinoisans are more likely to avoid getting the emergency care they need because they’re afraid of outrageous medical bills. But for people waiting on a Medicaid determination, we’re happy to share this solution for temporary coverage.